The chill of Tuesday afternoon in Virginia Beach was welcomed to counter the heated discussions in a packed Virginia Beach City Council chamber. More than half in attendance were Pro Light Rail and spoke passionately about how and why Virginia Beach should approve the MOU. The MOU passed 9-2, with Moss and Dyer being the two opposed.
I am not for this proposed project. It is not going to accomplish what I believe people think it will, but let's expand on the idea of Light Rail.
Let's start with the Tide. The Tide in Norfolk is losing money hand over fist. It was over budget on what was originally proposed for the construction. For those who say that they want Light Rail in Virginia Beach because it would be such a great investment, let's look at our neighbor. We have to ask ourselves why is the Tide failing? We have to remember that this was a great investment for Norfolk as well. If Virginia Beach getting Light Rail is supposed to be a huge benefit, why aren't they using what Norfolk has to offer en masse to better prove their point as to how much value it brings to the city?
People who relocated to our area from larger cities want that "Walkable" lifestyle back that they had in places like DC. Certain communities like what we see in Town Center are offering the live where you play kind of lifestyle, but we're not a big city like DC. While living in an urban lifestyle is great for some, it isn't for others.
To further say that Light Rail is what all Millenials and downsizing Baby Boomers want and will take into consideration before moving here is false. I am lumped into the Millenial category and I do not want to live in an urban environment. I'm happy for those who do, but please don't believe that is what every person wants. The suburban lifestyle is still a way of life that some people prefer.
If we don't get Light Rail the city will die! Yes, there were numerous people who said we would be sentencing our city to a slow and painful death without Light Rail. Let's be honest here, Virginia Beach will probably suffer a death more painful than if we were to lose any of the military bases. Why not focus on keeping the military happy and put energy towards a small subsection of the population that may or may use this piece of transportation. Plus our city continues with construction of homes, apartments, hospitals, and colleges. This wouldn't be happening if we were dying. We've made out pretty well without it and will continue to do so.
Businesses want mass transportation as an option for their employees. Sounds reasonable. Let's discuss what is viable for this area. Buses would do a better job at getting people where they need to go. A reliable and efficient bus system would be able to reach more of the population, so why not push to make the bus systems more efficient. I would bet that if we were to transform the bus system to be an effective and reliable mode of transportation, it would be used more! We could even set up certain buses to be an Express service, offering non-stop service to and from the Oceanfront from Town Center, the Airport, wherever there was a need. The bus system as it is now is horrid. It takes two hours to get around the city, no thanks.
Has anyone even asked how much more it will cost to extend it all the way to the oceanfront? If all costs remain the same, would we still get half of the $300 million dollars per three miles of track from the state? It's roughly about 10 miles to hit the oceanfront from Town Center, so if we do not have any more state funding coming in from that state and let's stay with the cost of $300 million dollars cost for three miles, THAT'S quite a bit of funds.
Light Rail to the Naval Bases is a resounding no from me. We cannot afford to have any kind of security breach when it comes to our bases and our citizens. Tickets are not checked now for the Tide, so how would Virginia Beach ensure those riders are not only paying, but are not terrorists?
I still do not understand this whole argument of "inclusion". It sounds like people are trying to make themselves feel good about extending the service from Norfolk for whatever reason. Light Rail will bring us together as a region? How?
This three miles is supposed to be an investment for our city; a foundation of what will be an extension to the oceanfront. $300 million dollars is a hefty price tag for a foundation when it has been studied to say it will not reduce congestion, nor will it help our environment. This is not the right answer at this time.
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